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"'How could an accident like that happen?' is the first thing I'm thinking, and while I watched, the second airplane came into view and hit the World Trade Center, and that instant I knew we were under attack," said Jackman.

Jackman, the flight supervisor that morning, explained that's when his training kicked in.

"We had two or three jets ready to go in about 90 minutes," said Jackman.

Lt. Col. David Gritsavage was the first pilot to take off from the Air National Guard.

"It was just incredible. It was one of those things where you don't even really believe it. You're like, 'Really? This happened to us? Here?" said Gritsavage.

Both Jackman and Gritsavage were flying above the destruction in New York City by Day 2 -- a vision forever embedded in their memories.

"The hardest part was forgetting what you saw, but then the other part was having a sense of pride, and huge sense of pride in the Green Mountain Boys," said Jackman.

"It puts a tear in my eye, you know, when they were playing Taps at the Pentagon today. I couldn't watch it," said Gritsavage.

The Air National Guard has forever been changed since that tragic day.

"The Green Mountain Boys have been on the tip of the sword from the day on 9/11 until -- we're getting to deploy again. We've deployed three times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom," said Jackman.

And remembering that day never gets easier.

"Personally, I don't really need to look at a calendar to know it's Sept. 11th, I get to replay not only that day, but the years to follow and the other deployments in my head," said Gritsavage.

In addition to the 600 members of the Air National Guard, 90 members of the Army National Guard were also deployed to New York City. They were activated to boost security at airports, bridges and tunnels.